


Twinkling Stars

by LuluMarie



Series: The Twin Stars of Fairy Tail [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fairy Tail Next Generation, Family Feels, First Dates, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Marriage Proposal, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:15:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuluMarie/pseuds/LuluMarie
Summary: The adventures of Lucy, Jellal, and all their friends and family are not done yet! This sequel of sorts to 'Magic of the Stars' fills in the blanks between Chapter Twenty-Nine and the Epilogue, and afterward too!(A collection of interconnected one-shots!)*NOTE* ~ If you haven't read Magic of the Stars, this story wouldn't make that much sense.JeLu and more!!
Relationships: Jellal Fernandes/Lucy Heartfilia, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: The Twin Stars of Fairy Tail [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768402
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter One - The Dragneel Family

The sound of running water was the only noise in the otherwise silent house. The running water was coming from the kitchen faucet, where a young woman stood washing dishes from breakfast.

She had long red hair, actually scarlet, that reached her lower back. Her warm brown eyes were focused on her task as she put the last of the dishes on the drying rack and wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing.

Hearing a shout outside, the woman discarded her apron and walked to the patio doors that were still open and led to the backyard of her house. She leaned against the frame of the door and smiled at the scene she witnessed.

A ten-year-old boy was roughhousing with an older man, both with huge grins on their faces. The man had spikey pink hair with onyx eyes and tanned skin. A white scarf with a scale pattern was wrapped around his neck.

The child also had spikey hair, although his hair was mostly red with a few pink strands. He had brown eyes with tanned skin, and his canines were peaking out of the corner of his mouth as he grinned. 

The two were Natsu and Henry Dragneel, the woman's husband and son.

It was Natsu who noticed her first. "Erza!" he called out, still grinning.

Henry turned at his father's call and noticed his mother standing there. "Mom!" he shouted. "C'mon, come play with us!"

Erza Dragneel chuckled. "You both know we have to head to the guild soon," she reminded her son, much to his displeasure.

"Aw, man!" Henry stamped his foot. "I almost had dad, too."

Natsu chuckled before reaching out to ruffle his son's hair. "Maybe in the next ten years," he teased, laughing even harder when Henry's pout exaggerated.

Erza shook her head in amusement as the two started to walk towards the door. Satisfied that they were on their way to getting ready to go, the redhead left her spot next to the patio doors and made her way deeper inside her house towards the front door so she could also get ready.

_ Who would've thought that this is where my path in life would take me? _

As Erza began to put on her shoes, her mind wandered to the last twenty years of her life. 

Even now, all these years later, she was humiliated and mortified at how she handled the news about her friends, Jellal and Lucy, being friends, let alone about them entering a romantic relationship.

She had been too focused on what she and Jellal could've been, too concentrated on the past, that she wasn't able to let go so the both of them could heal.

It hadn't truly hit her until Erza and Lucy had sparred (a fight, who was she kidding) all those years ago. Her rage had taken control, and she was about to hurt, arguably, her best friend—practically her sister. All over a guy.

Remembering how Jellal moved to protect Lucy from her still made her stomach churn unpleasantly, even after all these years.

As she finished lacing up her shoes and moved to grab her son's scarf for when he finally finished getting dressed, Erza's mind flashed back to that night.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ In one of the rooms of Fairy Hills sat a young woman with scarlet hair. _

_ On top of her bed with her legs crossed, Erza stared straight ahead at the wall with unseeing eyes. _

_ It was several hours after her fight with Lucy, and the rot had yet to leave her soul. She knew that Lucy, as well as the rest of their friends (were they her friends anymore?), were at the guild, but she couldn't face them. _

_ Not after what she did. _

_ Not after realizing just how low she had sunken. _

I don't even recognize the person in the mirror anymore. Mira was right; acting like this is pushing my friends away from me.

_ Tears fell silently down her cheeks as Erza's arms, which were wrapped around herself, squeezed tighter as she thought back to how badly she had treated her friends the whole time Lucy, Wendy, and Carla were gone. _

_ "I-I can't," she gasped. "I can't stay here." _

_ She wiped at her face hurriedly before springing from her bed and began to rush around, mindlessly throwing some of her things on her vacated bed. _

_ When her bed was covered in various clothing items, and she was hunting through her closet for her suitcases, a knock sounded at her door. _

_ "Erza?" _

_ Said redhead froze at the muffled voice that called through her closed door. _

_ "Erza?" the voice repeated. "May I please come in?" _

_ Erza took a deep breath before she straightened up. "Come in, Lucy." _

_ There was a slight lull before her door opened slowly, and the blonde stepped inside. She paused when she saw all things atop Erza's bed before she turned to look at the redhead herself. Lucy's eyes went wide when she saw her holding large bags in her hands. _

_ "Are you..." she started saying before she faltered. "Are you leaving?"  _

_ Erza looked away. "Yes." _

_ "Is it...because of me?" Lucy asked tentatively. "Me and Jellal?" _

_ "No," Erza answered quickly, looking up at her. "I mean, I would be lying if I say no, but it's mainly because of me." _

_ "Because of you?" Lucy asked as she stepped further into the room, closing the door behind her. _

_ Erza bit her lip and nodded as she looked away, unable to look her friend(?) in the eyes. "This person that I've become," she said, her voice lowered in shame. "The things I've done and said, the way I've treated my friends...it is unacceptable." _

_ "Erza," Lucy tried to interrupt, but the redhead soldiered on. _

_ "I can barely look at myself in the mirror," Erza admitted. "I...I am not who I used to be. I need to...I need to work on finding her again, and I think going away for a while will help me focus on getting back to who I once was. _

_ Erza still didn't look at Lucy; she kept her eyes trained on the stuff on her bed. _

_ "I'm sorry," Lucy's tearful voice brought Erza's gaze back to the blonde, and she was shocked to see silent tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Erza. We never meant-" _

_ "No," Erza cut in, her voice not unkind. "You and Jellal didn't do anything wrong; I was a bad friend. I should've been happy for you both, even if it would have been a little awkward. Instead..." _

_ Erza's voice tapered off, but by the look on Lucy's face, she knew what she meant. _

_ Lucy nodded. "When will you be back?" _

_ She shrugged. "I don't know," Erza admitted. "But this is something that I need to do." _

_ "I understand," Lucy replied. Then, before Erza could blink, the blonde was wrapping her up in a hug. _

_ "You are always going to be one of my best friends," Lucy whispered. "No matter what happens." And then she was gone before Erza had the chance to hug her back. _

_ Erza glanced at the items on her bed, and she began to pack them away, a small smile on her face. _

_ "You will always be one of my best friends too." _

**_~Flashback Ends~_ **

After their conversation, Erza was gone for almost two years. She kept in contact with her friends, sent congratulations and gifts when she missed birthdays and even a couple of weddings.

During that time, as she visited places she's always wanted to go, she was able to relax for the first time in years truly.

She didn't have to worry about her friends; she didn't have to think about what jobs she can do to pay her rent, she didn't have to break up any fights amongst her guildmates.

For the first time in a long while, she was able to focus on only herself, and that made all the difference.

"Erza? You alright?"

The sound of her husband's voice snapped Erza out of her reminiscing, and she glanced up to see his worried face staring down at her.

"I'm fine," she answered his question, a smile on her face. "I was just...thinking."

Natsu searched her face for a moment before he nodded. "If you're sure."

"I am," Erza reassured him, her smile growing. She looked around and noticed the distinct lack of her son. "Where is Henry?"

"Oh, he's grabbing that glass-thing he made with his fire," Natsu answered. "Since we left early yesterday and missed seeing Lucy and Jellal get back, he wants to be able to show them when we go this time."

"Oh, okay."

And wasn't that a shock? Marrying none other than Natsu Dragneel and having his child.

When Erza had finally returned to Fairy Tail, Jellal and Lucy had already married and were expecting their children (although nobody knew that they were going to have twins at the time). And while she was happy for her friends moving on in their lives, it was still slightly painful to see them as happy as they were.

And since Gray took to taking missions mostly with his new wife, Meredy, Erza mostly hung out with Natsu.

She didn't know when she started seeing the pink-haired Dragon Slayer as more than a friend. She didn't realize when the feelings she held for him become more than platonic. 

But one day, about a month after Gajeel and Levy had their son Shiro, Erza went on a mission with him, and Natsu had gotten hurt protecting her. After Porlyusica had healed him and allowed Erza to finally visit, she had rushed in, ignored Natsu's tired yet cheerful greeting, collapsed next to the bandaged Dragon Slayer in relief, and kissed him square on the mouth.

It took Natsu freezing underneath her for Erza to realize what she was doing, and she had begun to move away. But Natsu had raised a hand to cup the back of her head to draw her back in, and he kissed her back. 

After that, they had begun dating - to the delight of the rest of the guild. 

It was only a year after that when Natsu proposed to her.

Erza couldn't help the smile from appearing on her face as she recalled how he asked for her hand.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ Erza and Natsu walked hand in hand along the shores of Akane Beach. Natsu had surprised her with a weekend getaway here, and tonight was the last night of their stay.  _

_ Natsu had insisted on one last stroll along the water's edge before they went to sleep, and Erza agreed with him. _

_ They were strolling in silence, but it was a comfortable one. After a moment of peaceful silence, Erza looked around and noticed just where on the beach they were walking towards and halted. _

_ Natsu looked at her. "Erza?" he asked in concern. _

_ "I remember being right here," she said, almost absentmindedly as she gazed over the water. "We had all gathered here to say goodbye to Shou, Milliana, and Wally. We gave them a Fairy Tail sendoff." _

_ "Yeah, we did," she heard Natsu say, a smile in his voice. "This is where the rest of their lives started. I thought it would be appropriate to ask here." _

_ Erza frowned. "Ask what?" she questioned as she turned around to face him. Only to suddenly gasp before slapping a hand over her mouth with wide eyes as she saw her boyfriend in front of her on one knee, and a gentle smile on his face. _

_ "Erza Scarlet," he said, his tone serious but gentle as he gripped her remaining hand in both of his. "You have been my best friend since we were kids. We laughed together, cried together, and discovered new things with each other. We grew strong together so we could protect those that we love. And being with you this past year has made me realize just how much you've come to mean to me. It made me realize how much I want to protect your smile and your happiness. It made me realize just how much I love you." _

_ Erza had silent tears streaming down her face during Natsu's little speech, and her heart was beating so loud she was sure he could hear it with his Slayer hearing. Her mouth was trembling beneath her hand as she fought to contain her elated sobs so he could finish speaking. _

_ Natsu drew back one of his hands so he could reach into his pocket and drew out a small, black box without breaking eye-contact with the woman in front of him. He flipped open the lid, and Erza could only stare in awe at the ring settled inside. A silver band with diamonds on either side of a scarlet ruby that sat in the center. _

_ "Erza," Natsu said. The forenamed redhead snapped her gaze back towards the pinkette. "Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?" _

_ Erza was rapidly nodding her head before Natsu could finish his first question. "Yes!" she sobbed as Natsu's smile became a broad grin. "Yes! Of course, yes!" _

_ Natsu took the ring from the box and set it very delicately onto Erza's ring finger. And then he was on his feet, wrapping Erza up in a hug that took her off her feet and a kiss that stole away her breath. _

_ "You said yes!" he exclaimed happily after they broke apart and begun to swing her around. _

_ Erza couldn't keep in her exhilarated laughter as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I said yes!" she repeated with the biggest smile she ever wore on her face. "I love you." _

_ "I love you too," he said as they stopped spinning and placed her back on her feet. He leaned in close, so their foreheads were touching. "I love you so damn much." _

**_~Flashback Ends~_ **

"Mom?"

Erza blinked at the sound of her son's voice and looked down to see him staring up at her in worry. Natsu was also looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay, mom?"

The Dragneel Matriarch smiled. "I'm fine, Henry, just thinking about something."

"Oh, okay," he replied cheerfully. "Let's go!"

Erza laughed as her son raced out of the house. "We'd better hurry if we want to keep an eye on him," she said in good humor.

"He gets that from me," Natsu commented as they left their house.

"Yes, yes, he does."

Natsu laughed as they hurried to catch up with their wayward son. After walking for a moment and making sure that Henry wasn't too far ahead, Natsu asked Erza a question. "What did you think about earlier?"

A natural smile came to Erza's face as she answered. "The night you proposed to me."

A slight blush lit up her husband's face as he grinned. "Oh, really?" he asked slyly.

Erza glared at him, but they both knew there was no real heat behind it. "No need to praise yourself."

"Oh, I won't," he replied promptly. "That's your job."

Natsu laughed as his wife punched him in the arm with only a little force.

"Are you guys done being disgusting?" Henry called out ahead of them. "C'mon, let's get to the guild!"

Erza cast one more (fake) glare towards her grinning husband before turning to their son. "We're coming."

It took a bit to walk from their home in the woods surrounding Magnolia to Fairy Tail. As soon as they got to town, they were assaulted with greeting from everyone as they made their way through the crowds of people.

Finally, they arrived at the guildhall, and Henry immediately rushed in, his parents right behind him.

When Erza stepped in and saw her son rushing towards the table that sat Jellal, Lucy, and their kids, she couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.

As Natsu led her over there, Lucy caught her eye and waved in hello, causing the rest at the table to do so too.

Erza's smile grew.

_ I wouldn't have things any other way. _


	2. Chapter Two - Happy and Carla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Siyo! Hey everyone! Glad to see you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Now, this one takes place a couple of days after Lucy and Erza had their spar, and Jellal and Meredy became members of Fairy Tail for good.

Carla, in her human form, sighed as she sat down at the bar inside Fairy Tail, her head cushioned on her fist.

It was the middle of the day, and she was so BORED.

Jellal and Lucy had gone on their first official date, and Wendy, Meredy, Levy, and Gray decided to spy on them.

Carla supposed she could've gone with them, but at the time, she didn't exactly feel like following them around all day long. She had been satisfied at the thought that Wendy would spill the juicy details later.

Now though, she wished she had gone with them. She didn't really hang out with anyone else in the guild besides the others and didn't know exactly how to approach anyone else.

She was contemplating going over to Lily, even though he was sitting next to the surly Gajeel, when something heavy landed on top of her head.

"Hey, Carla!"

The exceed-turned-girl, as mentioned earlier, gritted her teeth. "Tomcat, if you do not get off of my head this instant, your extra nine lives will be shortened to only one."

The weight disappeared from her head almost immediately, and Happy fluttered down in front of her. "You've been spending too much time around Lucy, Carla. You're starting to get scary!"

Carla smirked. "Thank you for the compliment. What are you doing over here anyway? I thought you go wherever Natsu goes."

Happy made a face. "He's upset because Gray is with Levy, Meredy, and Wendy to spy on Jellal and Lucy's date, and because Erza went traveling. He has no one around willing to fight him. So he's off pouting somewhere."

Carla's face darkened a little at the mention of Erza. Lucy had told them what conspired between the two. While a big part of her is still upset by what Erza had done, another smaller piece of Carla was relieved that the redhead was actually regretful of her actions and taking steps to repent for them and also become a better person.

"Yes, that sounds like him," Carla responded to Happy's earlier account of Natsu. "But why are you over here?"

"I wanted to ask for your help!" Happy perked up.

"And what makes you think that I'll assist you?"

Happy smirked slyly. "Because you're bored and got nothing else to do."

_ Part of me is angry that he noticed, another part of me is creeped out that he saw, and a final piece of me is glad to have something to do. What a cocktail of thoughts that roam my mind. _

"Fine," Carla exhaled softly. "What is it that you want?"

"I want you to teach me how to turn into a human the way you do!"

Only a slow blink was the sign of Carla's surprise. "You want me to teach you transformation magic?"

"Yes!" Happy exclaimed excitedly. "It'll be so cool to have a human body! Plus, maybe I can help out Natsu as you do with Wendy!"

Carla had to concede that point. And she  _ was _ bored.

_ Oh, why not I suppose. _

"Alright," she agreed. "I have nothing better to do."

Happy got literal stars in his eyes. "YATTA!"

~wWw~

Carla stood across from Happy in his and Natsu's backyard.

After agreeing to help him, Happy had all but dragged the exceed in human form back towards his home so he could practice in secret.

When she had asked him why he wanted it to remain a secret, he gained a mischievous smile on his face before saying it was going to be a surprise.

"Alright, Tomcat," Carla began to explain, "transformation magic normally has three levels; basic, intermediate, and advanced. However, because we are exceeds, we can skip immediately to advanced."

"What?" Happy frowned. "Why?"

"Because whenever we use our aerial magic, we are using a type of advanced transformation magic," Carla explained. She activated her aerial magic and her white wings instantly materialized. "Our wings manifesting is not that different than a mage using advanced transformation magic to turn their body into an animal. The only difference is that we manipulate part of our body, not all of it."

"Oh," Happy uttered. "So, I just have to channel my magic everywhere instead of just my back?"

Carla nodded. "Yes, exactly like that. And while you do that, you have to picture what you want to look like. Hair length, height, weight, things like that."

"Okay," Happy nodded decisively. "Alright, I'm going to try it now!"

The blue exceed shut his eyes tightly and began emitting a golden glow. However, when it disappeared, a human Happy was not there. Rather, it was still him in his exceed form with miniaturized human hands and feet, and with no tail at his back.

Carla sighed as Happy began to freak out.

_ This will take a while. _

~wWw~

It took an entire week for Happy to get it down. He had kept transforming only parts of his body - like just his arms, or one leg, or certain toes - instead of his whole body.

The most traumatic thing Carla had ever seen was a human head on Happy's exceed body. It gave her chills even now.

The above-mentioned exceed in human form was once again at the guild, although this time she was sitting with Wendy and Romeo.

Happy had finally completed his transformation that morning and told Carla to go on without him because he wanted to Make An Entrance - whatever that meant.

She hadn't been sitting down more than fifteen minutes before Natsu approached their table. "Hey, guys," the pinkette greeted after he walked up. "Do any of you know where Happy is? He told me to leave without him this morning but I haven't seen him since."

"I haven't seen him," Romeo shook his head.

Wendy also declined to have seen him. "Have you asked Lucy-nee or Jellal-nii?" she asked. "Meredy and Gray might've seen him too."

"Nah, I already asked and they haven't seen him either," Natsu denied. "What about you Carla?"

Carla smiled cordially and gave an eloquent shrug. "I've not the faintest idea."

Natsu sighed loudly and, in Carla's opinion, dramatically. "Oh, come on! Where are you Happy?"

A voice at his back spoke up. "Geez, quit being so loud, Natsu! I'm right behind you!"

The Dragon Slayer grinned. "Finally!" he exclaimed before he began to turn around. "I've been looking for - what the hell?!"

Natsu's yell was loud enough to attract the attention of everyone else in the guild and they all looked over in curiosity, only to mimic Natsu's, Wendy's, and Romeo's expressions of shock.

Carla smirked in the background.

Natsu pointed a shaking finger at the figure in front of him. "...H-Happy?"

He grinned. "Duh! Who else would it be?"

"But...but you're human!"

Happy's grin widened into a smirk. Happy, like Carla, had managed to transform into a human that looked around Wendy's age. His blue fur converted into the blue hair on his head that resembled Romeo's hairstyle with his ears on top as well. He had donned on an outfit that consisted of a dark blue hoodie with beige pants and black sandals similar to the ones Natsu wore. His blue tail was poking out at his back below a small green backpack.

"Carla can turn into a human too, ya know!" Happy pointed out, a smirk still on his face. "You shouldn't be so shocked."

Wendy noticed the smirk on her friend's face and narrowed her eyes. "Carla, did you have anything to do with this?"

Everyone turned to look at the smirking white-haired girl. "He did ask for my help," she said innocently. "I like helping my friends."

"...just last week you were describing to me and Lucy the many ways you could make Happy disappear," Meredy explained slowly from the table she and Gray were seated at.

Lucy nodded bemusedly from her seat on Jellal's lap at the bar. "Yes, we made a list; it was two separate pages on the front and back."

Happy turned puppy-dog (or kitten) eyes onto Carla with a betrayed expression. The exceed in human form merely shrugged. "Don't talk to me about the many ways you love fish and it won't happen again - maybe."

"Forget that!" Natsu exclaimed in excitement. "You can turn into a human now, that's awesome! Let's go home, we need to work on some combo moves!"

Natsu rushed out the guild, Happy right on his tail, an "Aye Sir!" already leaving his lips.

As soon as they left, all eyes were back on Carla.

"I don't know whether you helped or hindered in teaching him that, Carla," Jellal said, his chin resting on Lucy's shoulder.

Carla gave everyone a polite smile that wouldn't seem out of place on a shark. "Well, think of it this way; if he annoys you while he's in his human form, there is a guaranteed way to shut him up."

It was silent after she said that for a moment.

Then -

" _ Oof _ ." All the males winced in sympathy while the females grinned in triumph.

Romeo turned wide eyes onto Carla. "Remind me not to piss you off," he said. "You're pretty scary when you want to be."

Carla smiled. "Thank you"

Wendy held out her hand for a high five that Carla was all too happy to give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what do you think? 
> 
> It wasn't as long as the last one, but I thought that since both Happy and Carla were not mentioned in either the Epilogue of 'Magic of the Stars' or the previous chapter, they deserved some screen time.
> 
> Until next time! Sayonara!


	3. Chapter Three - Lucy and Jellal - First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember in the previous chapter, there was a mention of Lucy and Jellal going on their first official date? Well, here it is.

"Are you excited?"

Lucy couldn't stop the (slightly lovestruck) smile from spreading across her face at Levy's question.

They were sitting at the bar inside the guild, the chatter of their guildmates fading into background noise as they conversed.

"Yes," she admitted, her smile not dimming in the slightest. "Technically, we've been together for months, but we haven't had the chance to go on a real date."

Levy grinned. "Aw, I'm so happy for you! You and Jellal deserve this!"

"Thanks, Levy-chan."

Lucy had told Levy that Jellal was taking her on a date that afternoon. Her excitement was contagious, and Levy couldn't help but be worked up as well.

"What is the date?" Levy asked. "Are you guys going to a restaurant or something?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, nothing too fancy. Not this time, at least."

"Hmm, so something casual then."

"Uh-huh. There's this cute cafe in town that opened up a few days ago. We're going to grab a bite to eat there and then see where the day takes us."

"Great!"

At that moment, Wendy walked up to the two, with Carla held tightly in her arms. "Hey nee-chan, Levy-san."

"Hey Wendy," Levy greeted the girl warmly, while Lucy waved. "Hey, Carla."

"Hello," the white-furred exceed replied as the two took a seat.

"Did Lu-chan tell you about her and Jellal's date?" Levy asked them.

Wendy's face lit up with a bright grin while Carla smirked. "She did! Are you excited, nee-chan?"

The blonde-haired young woman let out a giggle. "Yes!"

"You must be pretty happy to be going out on an official date with Jellal," Carla observed.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. Like I told Levy, we've been together for months, but this will be the first time we'll have an official date."

Wendy smiled. The two months that she, Lucy, Carla, Meredy, and Jellal had spent together on Tenrou were exhausting, as they did nothing but train. However, the few times that they had downtime, Wendy had always observed how Lucy and Jellal drifted towards each other to spend time with.

Now that Lucy was back at the guild and Jellal an official member and a free man, they finally had the chance to be together. Wendy could understand why Lucy was excited.

"Hey."

All four of them turned at the voice to see Jellal standing behind them with a smile on his face. He was looking at Lucy. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am," Lucy beamed at him. She got up and took his outstretched hand before looking back at the girls. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, guys," they all waved as the two left.

Levy sighed as soon as they were out of earshot. "I hope they have fun," she said to the other two, who nodded in agreement.

"You hope who has fun?" Gray asked as he sat beside Wendy, Meredy settling down next to him.

"Lucy-nee and Jellal-nii have their first official date today," Wendy told them. "They just left."

Meredy's eyes widened. "Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed. "I had forgotten about that."

Suddenly, a mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes as a smirk began to form on her face.

Carla looked at her warily. "What's going on inside that head of yours, Meredy?"

"We should spy on them!"

Wendy blinked. "Spy on them?"

Meredy nodded rapidly. "Sure! Aren't you guys curious about what they're doing?" she asked. "Plus, if something embarrassing happens, we'll have perfect blackmailing material!

A smirk began to form on Levy's face slowly. "You know, you make a good point," she said.

Wendy looked at her in shock. "Levy-san!"

"I'll come too." All the girls turned their heads towards Gray, who looked unfazed at the fact he had their attention. "I need to make sure Jellal is treating her right."

"That's a good point, too," Levy nodded.

Meredy grinned. "So it's agreed! Let's go; if they just left, that means we can catch up to them!"

She quickly rushed out of the guild with Levy and Gray right on her heels.

Wendy stared incredulously after them. "They're really going to go spy on them..."

Carla let out a small laugh. "And you're shocked?"

"...I guess not," Wendy admitted. She bit her lip as thoughts ran through her mind before she stood decisively. "I'm going after them."

"What?"

"I'm going to go after them," the sky dragon slayer repeated. "To make sure that they don't go too far."

Carla let out a 'hm.' "I suppose that's a good idea," she said. "Let me know how it goes when you get back."

Wendy glanced at her in surprise. "You're not coming with?"

The white-furred exceed let out a delicate snort. "I'm not getting caught up in that," she said dryly. 

Wendy giggled. "Good point," she replied. "I better go if I want to catch up with them."

Carla nodded and watched the young girl rush out. "Good luck," she murmured.

~wWw~

Lucy put a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to hold in her laughter. "No way," she gasped out, a huge smile behind her fingers.

Jellal was laughing. "Trust me; it happened," he said with amusement. "If I weren't there, I would've thought it a joke if Ultear and Meredy told me about it."

Lucy lost the battle with her composure and started giggling like mad, her grip on her coffee cup faltering slightly. Jellal hid his own snickers behind his fist as he watched his girlfriend lose the grip she had on her cool.

"So what you're telling me," Lucy gasped out after she got a hold of herself, "is that after you saved the town from the dark guild, the 'reward' the mayor gave you was the 'honor' of having Meredy marry his son?"

"Yep," Jellal smirked. "He phrased it as 'the greatest honor I could give to our heroes, the hand of my son for this lovely lady.' I had never seen Meredy look so confused or Ultear so entertained before."

Lucy laughed harder, and even Jellal was starting to lose the grip on his cool.

As Lucy had stated to her friends earlier, they went to a new cafe in town for their first official date. They were both enjoying the normalcy of it all and the fact that they didn't have to hide.

"Oh my gosh," Lucy breathed as she got her laughter under control. "I am so going to bring this up next time I see her."

Jellal laughed. "That would be hilarious," he said. "She was so confused at the time that she didn't say anything at the mayor's proclamation. Ultear's response was what set me off, though."

Lucy leaned forward. "What did she say?"

Jellal smirked. "She asked, 'Is he at least cute'?"

The Celestial Mage burst out laughing once more, with Jellal joining in too.

_It feels like I haven't laughed like this in ages. I never want this to end!_

~wWw~

Outside the Fay Cafe crouched four mages. Three of them were peaking slyly through one of its windows to spy on the blonde and bluenette couple while the other one, a young bluenette, just stood beside them with her arms crossed. 

You could tell which people were native to Magnolia and which were visitors by the way they either ignored the odd quartet or flat out stared at them. It was the town that housed the Fairy Tail guild, after all.

"What's going on?" Levy asked Meredy, the only one able to get a good view without being spotted.

"They're laughing at something," the Maguilty Mage responded. "But I can't hear what it is."

"Let me see," Gray took Meredy's spot and peered through the window himself. 

Just as Meredy said, both Jellal and Lucy were laughing at something. Lucy's smile was the brightest he had seen, and even though he didn't know Jellal as well, he got the feeling it was one of the rare times he grinned that hugely. 

"What's going on now?" Levy asked from beside him after a moment.

Gray frowned. "They're just talking now, but I think they might be getting ready to leave."

"So we should probably move before they see us," Meredy reasoned.

Wendy sighed. "I still don't think you guys should be spying on their first date. It's a special occasion for them."

"I need to know if Jellal will treat my little sister properly," Gray defended himself.

"So do I," Levy added. "I mean, the opportunity to get blackmail material is awesome too, but Lu is my best friend. I want to look out for her."

"You guys realize that they spent two months together on Tenrou Island, right?" Wendy asked with an eyebrow raised. "They also were around Me, Carla, and Meredy for most of it, and nothing improper happened."

Gray shrugged. "I just need to see it for myself."

"You have nothing to worry about, Gray," Meredy grinned. "I've known Jellal for seven years, and he is perhaps the most honorable person I have ever met. Just wait, you'll - OH MY GOSH THEY'RE COMING OUT!"

Levy's eyes widened. "Quick, hide!"

All four of them backed away as quickly as they could without bringing attention to themselves (probably a lost cause). They were able to hide in an alley near the store right before the blue and gold couple came out.

Lucy had a big grin on her face as Jellal led her out, while the man himself wore a soft smile as he gazed at the woman speaking to him.

The quartet was too far away to hear what they were saying, but she observed as Jellal let out a bark of laughter, and Lucy smirked before the couple made their way down the street.

"C'mon," Meredy said as she stepped from the alley. "Let's go before we lose them!"

The pinkette hurried after them with Levy and Gray right behind her.

Wendy let out a sigh as she followed after them, albeit at a slower pace.

_Here we go again._

~wWw~

Lucy and Jellal were sitting on a bench in one of Magnolia's parks. They had run into an ice cream vendor on the way there, and each had bought a vanilla cone, but only Jellal got toppings on his.

They had chosen to rest while they ate their ice cream cones instead of continuing on, and their chattering had mixed in with the other visitors to the park.

"My love of reading came from my mom," Lucy was saying. "After she died, I would read the books she used to read to me to feel closer to her. Doing that made me realize how much I liked to read and made me want to create stories like the ones I read."

Jellal nodded thoughtfully. "You know, I don't really remember my mom that much, but I do remember that she liked to sing. She would hum when she was cleaning or sing to me when I was upset. I think that's why I really enjoyed listening to you when you would sing to us."

Lucy blushed and hid her smile by taking another bite of her ice cream.

Jellal laughed. "You have a bit of ice cream right here," he said as he tapped his own lip.

"Oh," Lucy used her napkin to dab at her mouth. "Did I get it?"

Jellal shook his head with a smile. Before she could rub at her mouth again, he had reached forward with the hand not holding his ice cream, and used his thumb to wipe away the small portion of dessert still on her lip. He placed his thumb in his mouth, his eyes dancing with entertainment.

Lucy was sure her entire face was red as a shy smile emerged on her face. "You're going to stop my heart if you keep that up."

The bluenette leaned towards her, his smile growing into a grin. His voice was low as he said, "But what a way to go."

~wWw~

Gray grimaced at the scene he just witnessed. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but that didn't keep him from seeing what Jellal had just done and Lucy's reaction to it. He wasn't disgusted by it or anything like that, but it was weird to see someone he saw as his little sister be intimate with a fellow guildmate and friend.

The half-naked Ice Mage turned to his companions and felt a sweatdrop form.

Levy was holding up a faint Meredy (which was comical considering their height difference) while Wendy was fanning the pinkette's face. "So - so romantic," the Maguilty Mage was murmuring. "That was beautiful. I need someone like that."

"I didn't think Jellal had that in him," Levy grinned as she held up her dizzy friend. "Very suave."

Wendy spoke as she continued to fan Meredy's face. "Nee-san and Nii-san were always close once they became an item. It's not too surprising."

"But this is the first I've seen something like that," Levy countered playfully.

Gray sighed and turned away from them to focus back on the blue and gold couple. They were sitting closer together and were talking quietly but with soft smiles on their faces.

The dark-haired older brother-figure to Lucy couldn't help but smile himself. It was clear to him that they both cared deeply for each other, and that was all Gray wanted for Lucy.

. . .But he was still going to follow them for the rest of their date. Couldn't be too careful after all.

~wWw~

Lucy sighed blissfully as she and Jellal headed back towards her apartment.

Their date day was pretty amazing, and she never wanted the day to end. But the sun was starting to set, and their stomachs were beginning to growl at them. But instead of heading to a restaurant, they both decided to have a home-cooked meal was a good way to end their day. Lucy, who was amazing at cooking, was going to show Jellal, who only knew how to cook over a campfire, how to make one of her favorite dishes.

"Did you have fun today?" Jellal's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to him with a blinding smile.

"Of course I did!" she exclaimed brightly. "This was probably the best time I've ever had!"

Jellal chuckled. "I'm glad," he admitted, the hand not holding hers rubbing the back of his head. "I was worried that today might have been boring."

"Far from it," Lucy assured him. "Today was amazing. I wouldn't change any of it."

Jellal smiled at her. He opened his mouth to say more but paused when he felt something hit his cheek. He rubbed at his cheek with a frown to remove the moisture - which he saw was just water - when he felt another drop hit his face.

Lucy glanced at him and saw her boyfriend frowning at something in his hand. She went to ask what was wrong but stopped when she felt something wet hit her forehead.

"Wha-" Lucy began to ask but was cut off by the low sound of thunder.

Jellal cursed under his breath. "We should hurry. I think the sky is about to open up on us."

Lucy nodded, and they both took off in a run back towards Lucy's residence, which was still a ways away. By the time they arrived at her front door, the rain had been coming down long enough for both of them to be soaked.

"At least my house has a warm shower waiting for us," Lucy said as she looked for her key.

Jellal chuckled. "I don't mind too much. I like the rain."

Lucy stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Hai. It's very relaxing for me."

Lucy looked up at the sky. The rain wasn't coming down too hard, and the clouds weren't quite blocking out the sight of the setting sun. The sound the rain made as it hit the pavement and the smell of it really was relaxing. "I guess I see your point."

Jellal gazed at her as she stared up at the sky. The light of the setting sun bathed her face in an orange glow, and the rain made her hair look like liquid gold. He reached forward and cupped her face in his hands.

Lucy stared at him and noticed the heat in his green eyes. A smile formed on her face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Really? The cliche of kissing the girl in the rain?" she asked, her words teasing but her tone warm.

Jellal leaned towards her, and his smile turned into a smirk. "Are you complaining?" 

"Not at all," Lucy breathed right before his mouth sealed over hers.

_No, I'm not complaining at all._

~wWw~

"Well, how about that?" Levy stated with a grin.

She and the others had tailed them throughout the day and observed all the things they did and how much fun they had.

Now they observed them outside Lucy's apartment, with Gray providing an ice dome-like thing to protect them from the rain.

"It was cliche, but still romantic," Meredy declared with a soft smile as they watched the couple finally go inside.

Gray sighed. "I guess Lucy is okay with Jellal," he admitted petulantly. The small smile on his face betrayed his thoughts, however.

Wendy rolled her eyes playfully. "I told you," she said smugly. "Let's all go home now."

Levy laughed. "All right," she agreed.

~wWw~

"Lu-chan!" Levy waved Lucy over to her table.

It was the day after she, Wendy, Meredy, and Gray had spied on Lucy's date with Jellal, and she and the others were wondering how Lucy felt about their date.

(Just because they saw it doesn't mean they knew all the details).

"Hey, Levy-chan! Hey everyone!" Lucy chirped. She had a spring in her step as she walked to them.

"Hey, Lucy-nee!" Wendy exclaimed. Carla, who was sitting in Wendy's lap, nodded at her in greeting while Meredy and Gray gave their own hello's to the blonde.

"How was your date?" Meredy asked with a grin.

Lucy beamed. "It was amazing," she said, before going on to explain the more in-depth details of her date, especially about the things they talked about.

"Wow," Levy said after Lucy finished speaking. "Well, I'm glad you had fun, Lu-chan."

Meredy nodded. "Me too," she agreed. "I mean, I saw you guys hang out and stuff while you, Wendy, and Carla were with us for training, but you guys never had a proper date. I'm glad you guys got the chance."

"Hai," Gray added. "If just one date was enough to make you this happy, then it was good for you guys."

Lucy blushed. "Thank you guys," she said bashfully. The sound of Mira calling her name caused the blonde to turn. "I better go; Mira wants me for something. I'll talk to you guys later."

Everyone chimed their goodbyes as Lucy began to walk away.

"Oh, by the way," Lucy paused to look over her shoulder at them, an unholy smirk on her face. "Jellal and I knew you guys were following us the entire time."

She turned and kept walking, leaving her friends - except for Wendy and Carla - to gape at her retreating back.

Their silence was broken by the giggling of one blue-haired Dragon Slayer. "Well," Wendy said as Carla smirked at the three frozen mages, "you guys should have seen that coming."

Levy, Meredy, and Gray groaned in defeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait! Many things were going on, but hopefully, it won’t take as long next time to post the next chapter.
> 
> Until next time! Ja ne!
> 
> (Remember, if you want to see a specific scene, leave a comment!)

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there's Erza, Natsu, and their son Herny!
> 
> Not to worry, there are more stories to come. Remember, if there is something specific you would like to see - except for any lemons scenes that will all occur off-screen - just leave a comment and I'll see if I can incorporate it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this little snippet into the Dragneel family and fear not; they will crop up in other stories too.
> 
> Until next time!


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